"Yellow jackets" go back to the invasion of Paris

Sky News Arab - Abu Dhabi
Thousands of yellow jackets staged marches in Paris and other French cities for the 12th time anti-government demonstrations were organized on the same day every week, although polls show President Emmanuel Macaron's popularity has recovered.

The French government has warned that police would not hesitate to use high-speed assault rifles if protesters were violently tempted by a mandate from the country's highest administrative court.

Demonstrators have been honored over the past months during the protests and condemned the use of a non-lethal type of rifle that triggers a burst of rubber bullets to control the riots as it is a taboo in most of Europe.

Police and independent media reported between 10,000 and 13,800 people protested in the capital. Riot police used gas bombs to disperse some of the protesters who set fire to rubbish bins, but the situation remained relatively quiet compared to the protests in recent weeks. Thousands have staged protests in other cities including Tor, Valencia, Marseille and Bordeaux.
According to official figures, about 1,000 police have been injured in addition to some 1,700 protesters since the beginning of the demonstrations.

"It is true that these medium-force weapons can cause injuries, but in the face of rioters, the police need to defend themselves against those who attack them," Interior Minister Christoph Castaner said.

Polls showed a rebound in Macron's popularity after he launched consultation and panel discussions in an effort to calm the unrest.

A poll by Harris Interactive, which polled about 1,000 people on Friday, showed Macron's popularity had risen four percentage points since December, gaining 35 percent.